Speaking and Training

Lorelle VanFossen provides training programs and is a popular keynote speaker and workshop leader specializing in web publishing, WordPress, blogging, social media, analytics, and having your say on the web. A long-time leader in web technology and development, since 1994 she has provided training programs and consulting on multimedia web publishing, delighting audiences with her quick wit and hysterical approach to what could be a dry subject. Her passion and enthusiasm for helping people have their say is contagious, and your group would benefit from a “Lorelle encounter” as many groups will testify.

Charles McKeever – Open Source Marketer – on Lorelle VanFossen at WordCamp Dallas 2009:
“Damn it Jim. I’m a blogger not a star ship captain!” That should have been the tagline for the talk that Lorelle VanFossen gave at WordCamp Dallas 2009. Lorelle gave another information packed, personality driven, WordPress ninja performance when she took the stage and played a Star Trek laden video intro for her USS WordPress Tags and Tribbulations talk.

If you don’t know, Lorelle is the resident WordPress mascot blogger. Last year she gave a fantastic talk on power blogging. This year she showed us how important it is to categorize the posts in your blog.

Lorelle has been the keynote and program leader to more than 40 WordCamps around the world, popular annual WordPress regional and national events, since 2007. She was the keynote for the very first international WordCamp in Tel Aviv, Israel. In Portland, Oregon, she put on the WordPress Fairy Blog Mother persona to present WordCamp Portland: How WordPress Changes Lives in 2008, the first Portland WordPress event. She has “evangelized” WordPress and blogging in more than a dozen countries at WordCamps and WordPress meetups and special events.

Her training programs on web publishing and social web interaction and marketing include a wide range of businesses, associations, non-profits, and government agencies. A typical year finds her 5-7 months on the road with speaking and training sessions and book tours.

I adore Lorelle. To me, she is the embodiment of our community in everything she does and in every action she performs. She is supportive and critical at the same time. She embraces and challenges in the same breath. She sticks her tongue out and throws her arms wide open all in one swoop. I believe what makes her approach so nice is that she is kind to the people that can enact change and she loves to teach other people to do the things she does so well. She is a WordPress enabler.

I wanna be like her. So I pledge to be as kind as I can be and I promise to educate everyone that cares to listen. While I am at it, I hope to learn a thing or two along the way. Will you help me do that?

How WordPress Changes Lives: The Power of Putting Publishing in Your Hands

Managing Multiple Authors in WordPress

260 Ways to Break WordPress: Encouraging Creative Thinking

WordPress.com Versus WordPress.org: Which One To Choose?

WordPress Power Blogging Tips

User Experience: Creating a Powerful User Experience in WordPress

Web Publishing:

Your Blog as a Business Card

By the Numbers: Understanding the Basics of Web Analytics

Integrating Social Media with Web Publishing

Blog Clutter: Tackling the Garbage on Our Websites

Web Accessibility: Meeting the US Federal Standards for 2012

Understanding Web Accessibility and the Benefits to Your Business

Podcasting: Making Your Passion Seen and Heard

Podcasting from a Storyteller’s Perspective

Photoblogging: The Art of Visual Expression

The Ignored Footer: Putting Life Back Into Your Bottom Line

Web Writing:

Kicking Ass Content Creation

Speed Blogging: Getting Your Message Out There Fast

Having Your Say Online: Tips, Techniques, and Don’ts

Memoirs and Personal Blogs: How to Tell Your Story

Web Writing: The Art of Conveying Your Message in the Online Social Web World

Content Connections: How to Create Content that Builds a Community

Blogging Your Passion: How to Share Your Natural Talents

When Having Your Say is Your Passion

Online Business and User Experience:

User Experience: Tracing the Customer Journey

User Experience Versus Usability: Making Both Matter

Community Building in the Era of the Social Web

F2F: The New Way of Doing Business Online – Face to Face Virtually

Creating an Online Persona

Charles McKeever – The Open Source Marketer says:
Lorelle is “The” WordPress evangelist. Her blog is a wealth of information and she continually works hard to make sure it offers real value all the time. She is fun and outgoing. She treats everyone she meets like they’ve been her best friend for years, and when you talk with Lorelle you feel like you’re the only person in the room. Lorelle is colorful without being crass, and engaging without being overbearing. She wears life like a favorite sweater with holes in the elbows and when she talks, you can hear all the places she’s been. She’s one of my favorite people.